Improvement in direct-acting engines



IHOMASHANSON.

Direct Acting Engines.

- l Patented 11111620.1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HANSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DIRECT-ACTING ENGINES.

Speciiication formingpart of Letters Patent No. 116,051, dated June 20,1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known'that I, TnoMAs HANsoN, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Direct-ActingEngines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexeddrawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure lis aside elevation. Fig. 2 is a partial vertical longitudinal sectionthrough the center of the steam-cylinder, and Fig. 3 is a verticalcross-section at the lines x x of Fig. 1.

In the several figures the same part is designated by the same letter ofreference.

Various means have been adopted for working the steam-valve by motionderived from the reciprocation of the piston of the steamcylinder, andvarious kinds of valve-gear have been employed.

My invention has for its object a simple and eEicient construction orcombination of devices by which the valve, through which the steam isadmitted to and exhausted from cach end of the cylinder alternately, isworked directly from the piston-rod; and to this end my inventionconsists in the combination, with Vthe piston and valve, of a valve-rod,which Vhas a reciprocating motion imparted to it by the combined actionof the piston at each stroke and an automaticV spring-cam, ashereinafter more fully explained, and which, through suitableconnections, operates the steam-valve, and thus regulates the passage ofthe steam to and from the steam and exhaust ports of .the cylinder, allas hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its cQnstruction and operation.

In the annexed drawing, uJ represents the steam-cylinder, which is madeabout as usual,

and it is shown connected, by a casting, b, to

the pump-cylinder c, the whole being supported and secured, by suitablecastings d d, to any desired foundation. Thevpump-cylinder c isoperated, with its piston, induction and eduction pipes, and valves, inthe usual way. E is the steam-piston, and f the piston-rod, which, as iscustomary in direct-acting steam-pumps, passes from the steam-cylinderinto the pumpcylinder. From the outer head of the steamcylinder a thereprojects an arm, g, which supports at its outer end a hollow verticalstandard, h, in which are formed the bearing of and in which work thevalve-actuatin g mechanism,

`about nine inches in depth for a cylinder ten inches in length-for thereception of one end of a valve-rod, m, the inner end of which is formedwith a short head, and it passes through a nut, m', screwed onto the endof the pistonrod, and thence'it passes out through the head ofthesteam-cylinder, as shown, being provided with a suitable stuffing-box.-This rod m is so fitted into the bore of the piston-rod as to have acertain amount of end-play, and its outer end is attached to adouble-cam bar, n, the form of which is clearly shown in Fig. 2. Thiscambar n is in the form of a double-inclined plane, and it is operatedupon by a caster-wheel or roller, o, in the lower end of a rod, p, andthis rod is forced continually downward by a pressure-spring, q. On thevalve-rod m is keyed one end of an arm, r, which extends upward, and hasconnected to .it one end of a bar, s, which at its other end is pivotedto the lower portion of a crank-plate or arm, t, that is hung loosely onthe axis of the steam-valve or threeway cock j; and a pin or tappet, t',projects from the said crank-plate and works in a curved slot, u, ofanother arm or plate, w, -Which vis secured fast on, and which serves toturn, the cock or steam-valve. The pump andv steamvalves and pistons maybe packed in any eii'ective manner well known toengineers, and thereforenot necessary to be described or represented. y

The operation of my improved engine may be thus explained: When steam isadmitted through the cock j to one end of the steam-cylinder, and thepiston, with its rod, moved toward the other end, the piston, afterhaving made a portion of its stroke, brings the bottom ofthe bore in thepiston-rod against the short head oli-the inner end of the rod m, andhence carries along with it the said rod m, which carries the double-cambar n; and when the latter has been forced so far as to bring the apexofthe double-inclined cam beneath the pressure-roller o, the. latteracts upon the opposite inclined face of the said cam, and causes it tocomplete its motion or stroke in the direction in which it was moved bythe piston-rod at a greater velocity than that ofthe steam-piston, or torun ahead of the piston; and this accelerated motion of the said cam-barand its rod m effects the shifting of the steama'alvej by the time thepiston has reached the end of its stroke, for during this last part ofthe stroke of the rod m, or that part of its stroke which is acceleratedby the action of the pressureroller ou the cam, the pin or tappet tpasses up to the end ofthe slot u and moves the plate -v about one-sixthof a revolution7 or so as to turn the steanrcock or valvej aboutone-sixth of a revolution and change the supply of steam to the oppositeend ofthe cylinder. The steampiston is now driven in the oppositedirection, and after having made a portion of its stroke the nut m aetsagainst the short head on the inner end of the rod m and carries alongwith it the said rod and its cam-bar, which, before the steainpistonreaches the end of its stroke, are forced ahead by the pressure-roller oacting on the inclined surface of the cam, and thus again shifting thevalve. In this way the operation is repeated at each stroke of thepiston.

The pressure of the spring, which forces the roller o down onto thecam-plate, may be regulated by a cap-piece, w, 'or in any otherdesirable manner; and the details of construction and the proportion ofthe different parts may, of course, be varied at the discretion of theconstructor.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

In combination with the steam-piston and valve, the employment of theValve-rod m, working in the semi-hollow piston-rod for the purpose ofoperating the steam-valve mechanism, and which receives its motion ateach stroke of the piston partially from the pistonrod and partiallyfrom a driving-spring and cam, substantially in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of May,1871.

THOMAS HANSON.

Witn esses:

WM. H. BrsHor, F. L. MATHEWS.

